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Flyers need serious upgrading ASAP

Nathan Horton #18 of the Boston Bruins scores past Ilya Bryzgalov #30 of the Philadelphia Flyers at 5:00 of the third period at the Wells Fargo Center on March 30, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Bruins 3-1.

Photograph by: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
, Postmedia News

They could end up finishing this lockout-shortened season in the bottom five of the overall NHL standings. That would give them very good lottery odds at getting Portland Winterhawks defenceman Seth Jones or fellow blue-liner Darnell Nurse of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Nurse, whose uncle Donovan McNabb used to be the Eagles quarterback, would be a nice storyline in Philadelphia.

The Flyers have been looking at San Jose Sharks defenceman Dan Boyle in a trade scenario — so have the Boston Bruins — because their defence is a mess with their best blue-liner Kimmo Timonen, 38, playing with a body that’s breaking down.

But they’re not upgrading their team right now. I don’t think defenceman Kent Huskins from the Detroit Red Wings for a 2014 draft pick is going to turn things around; they just needed a live body. There’s no get out of jail card here.

The Flyers, who haven’t missed the post-season since 2007, aren’t making the playoffs — not with a team that’s falling apart at the seams on defence, especially.

Andrej Meszaros has been hurt most of the time during his time in Philadelphia and now has a torn rotator cuff. Braydon Coburn has a shoulder separation, but he had struggled most of the season anyway. Nicklas Grossman, another top four blue-liner, is also out.

Although Chris Pronger’s concussion happened in 2011, the Flyers never replaced him. I know that sounds like ancient history, but their problems started when the big veteran went down.

“He was a force for us. We gave up a lot to get him (from the Anaheim Ducks). Not having him would be like Boston not having (Zdeno) Chara. That’s why we were trying to overcome his loss last summer,” said Flyers owner Ed Snider — in a wide-ranging interview with CNN Philly.com — of the July 2012 wildcat offer sheet to Shea Weber, which was matched by the Nashville Predators.

You can bet the Flyers will revisit Weber again in August, but this time in a trade with the Predators. Nashville can move him after one year from the time they matched the offer, which is August. Nashville begrudgingly matched the $114-million Flyers’ offer sheet last summer to keep their captain, with no choice really after Weber’s blue-liner partner Ryan Suter bolted for the Minnesota Wild and their $98-million deal over 13 years.

But with the Predators iffy to make the playoffs this year and hamstrung by Weber’s hefty contract, they could package Weber for four pieces. Philadelphia certainly has forwards — Sean Couturier or Brayden Schenn at centre and Jake Voracek or Wayne Simmonds on the wing. Insist on two of them, one centre, one winger. Get a first-round draft pick. The Predators could take Coburn, even at $5 million. They have to get somebody on the back end. Couturier regressed this year after he was plus-18 last season, his rookie year. He’s minus-13 this season and has negligible offence, with just eight points, averaging 16 minutes of ice time per game.

The Flyers might also buy out Danny Briere, 35, during the summer. He’s on injured reserve with a concussion and has two years left on his contract at $5 million total.

Head coach Peter Laviolette? Who knows? He never looks happy behind the bench, certainly this season. When the Flyers win, he looks relieved, not happy.

One last observation: you have to look long and hard to find one single picture of Suter at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville these days. He’s in the background of one photo in the building apparently, but when he left for Minnesota, he obviously became persona non grata around there.

Goaltending BluesWhile head coach Ken Hitchcock keeps preaching “buy-in” by his St. Louis Blues players, wanting them to dig deeper and play smarter in all zones, it won’t matter one hoot if his goaltending doesn’t solidify.

That’s the real elephant in the room there, the goaltending troika of Jaro Halak, Jake Allen and Brian Elliott has a save percentage of .883, well under the barely acceptable .900 in today’s game.

Elliott, who had nine shutouts last season, is in Peoria on an American Hockey League conditioning assignment. He lost 4-2 to the Oklahoma City Barons — the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate — Friday, but there’s a better chance the guy driving the Zamboni plays before Elliott in St. Louis, unless there are injuries.

Halak has been hot and cold this season. He has three shutouts, but has let in some suspect goals and rookie Jake Allen — 8-3-1, 2.45 goals-against average — was schooled for three goals in seven shots against the Oilers last week.

Filppula could moveIs it possible that the Detroit Red Wings would trade enigmatic unrestricted free-agent centre/winger Val Filppula at the deadline, knowing he wants north of $5 million in a new deal, something they are loathe to do?

Yes. They’re a playoff team and Filppula has teased Detroit for years. He’s an outstanding one-on-one talent, but he doesn’t bring it every night like Pavel Datsyuk, for example, does.

Filppula, who turned 29 last week, has had one excellent season when he garnered 66 points in 2011-12. To me, he’s the perfect example of a guy who should stay where the grass is greenest as a support player rather than being pegged as a go-to guy on another team.

The Chicago Blackhawks, looking for a No. 2 centre rental so Dave Bolland can be their No. 3 guy, have been monitoring this situation. But would Detroit trade him to a division rival and a possible playoff foe this year?

If I was GM Ken Holland, I’d move Filppula somewhere. Holland let Jiri Hudler go for nothing last summer. The Blackhawks, who won’t be in the same Central Division with Detroit next year as the Red Wings move east in the realigned NHL, do have lots of young talent in the pipeline.

Nathan Horton #18 of the Boston Bruins scores past Ilya Bryzgalov #30 of the Philadelphia Flyers at 5:00 of the third period at the Wells Fargo Center on March 30, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Bruins 3-1.

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